Fishing lures have been around for many years, and in the past have taken many forms, a typical lure having at least one fishing hook attached to something which might entice food or game fish (herein ‘target fish’) for attention and possibly to bite at. As most of these target fish are predatory in nature, lures most often take the form of some type of food for the target fish. Such lures may be configured as smaller fish, worms, frogs, or crayfish and are typically used by pulling the lure through the water (possibly with a jerking motion) to simulate a swimming fish, frog, etc. Other lure devices, such as spinners, spoons, poppers, etc., are constructed of shiny materials and designed to be dragged rapidly across the surface of a fishing area to simulate an injured or fleeing organism that might be good for a predatory fish to eat.
At least one problem with these lures of the past is that these are inanimate objects which rely on the skill of the fisherman pulling it through the water in order to catch the target fish's attention. Where a fisherman is inexperienced at dragging the lure through the water or where the conditions are not right for the fish to feed, then the fish simply will not bite at the lure. In other instances, the fish may become acclimated to lures, and learn to distinguish between a lure and food. As a result, there is a need for a lure that is more appealing to fish so as to cause them to bite even under sub-optimal conditions.
Some lures have been developed which house microcontrollers, power sources, motors, lights, and other electromechanical devices within the lure so that it might act in a more desirable and repeatable way once submersed and within the target fish's environment. Several problems have been discovered with these lures however. First, lures are typically very small and fitting each of the components into the envelope of the lure body can be difficult or impossible. Further, these sensitive electronic components can become damaged through handling or submersion, especially considering that lures are typically made of a softer material (sometimes an rubber, rubber-like plastic, or elastomer) which does not protect the internal components very well. Still further, the lures are often damaged by a target fish which may bite, tear, or even swallow the lure. When expensive microcontrollers and power sources are placed within the lure, they can easily be lost or damaged during a catch and can thus make fishing with these lures cost-prohibitive.